Mining in Austria
In Austria, about 80 million tonnes of mineral resources are extracted per year from both above-ground and below-ground mining. In the field of construction raw materials, like sand and gravel, Austria is self-sufficient. As regards metals and fossil fuels, Austria depends largely on imports.
For Austria’s economic development, mining has always been of prime importance and has a long tradition. Mining history has been preserved not only in the names of towns and villages, in language and the customs of miners. With the continuous development of technologies and scientific knowledge Austria has achieved an outstanding position in some fields.
The Austrian mining handbook (Montan-Handbuch), which is published annually, illustrates the major key figures of Austrian mining and thus also highlights the importance and the capacity of the extractive and the raw material processing industries.
Freehold mineral resources account for about two thirds of domestic production and thus make up the largest share, followed by the freely mineable and the federally owned mineral resources.
The mineral resources extracted in Austria are described in greater detail under the individual groups of raw materials: construction raw materials, raw materials for energy, industrial raw materials and metals.